


Kiss That Grrrl

by Vex_ation



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: F/F, Hate to Love, Jealousy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25947325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vex_ation/pseuds/Vex_ation
Summary: Sapphire is good at a lot of things, but can't count emotions among them. Something about Lisia makes her blood boil and heart pound and the sweat pour down her face. Sapphire isn't quite sure how she feels about the blue-haired contest idol, but she's certain that she hates it.
Relationships: Lutia | Lisia & Odamaki Sapphire | Sapphire Birch
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Kiss That Grrrl

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bakugames](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bakugames/gifts).



Sapphire was good at a lot of things, but couldn’t count emotions among them. She let them roll over her like the sea, drowning her in all their intensity before letting them roll off her back. It worked well for big outbursts, for temporary bouts of crying or screaming or anger, but it didn’t work nearly as well with those emotions that simmered within you. It was hard to just shake away resentment or insecurities that gnawed away at your foundations. Those emotions wormed within you and nothing seemed to be able to flush them out. That was how Sapphire felt every time she went to Lilycove. That… was when  _ she _ was there. 

Sapphire liked to think of herself as someone reasonable, but there was something about the girl that made Sapphire furious. There was a special sort of shallowness to her that made Sapphire think if she just dug her nails into that perfect smooth skin she would crumble like sand. There was nothing within her behind that plastic exterior, nothing real behind the mask of makeup and that dazzling smile. Sometimes, just to make herself feel better, Sapphire could imagine those long acrylic nails were like claws, that her big blue eyes would narrow to reptilian slits as soon as the light went dim, that she hid fangs behind those ruby red lips. Sapphire loved to imagine her like a beast, a snake, something alien and hostile and ready to snap her friends up in those greedy jaws. Sapphire could defeat a beast. Sapphire could not defeat a cute little idol. 

Lisia was everything Sapphire was not-- the stilettos to her bare feet and the blunted teeth to her gnarled fangs. She looked as though she had never even stepped foot in the wilderness or done even a single day of hard work; it was as if she waltzed right out of the powder chair and out into the world like a freshly molted Ninjask. Sapphire sometimes wondered how many of her bones would shatter if she got punched. Had it been legal, maybe she would try. 

Every time she saw Lisia, it was the same. Lisia would coo and chirp like a bird, greeting her warmly and with a big smile that looked and smelled like plastic. She would put her dainty little hands in Sapphire’s giant paws, gush about Ruby, and then disappear like a flower being tugged helplessly along with the breeze. Her fakeness made Sapphire feel sick to her stomach. She hated how Lisia looked more fragile than a porcelain statue, how she reeked of expensive cologne and glowed in the sun with pounds of makeup plastered on her face. Sapphire hated how pretty she was, how perfect she was, and how she probably was rotting away underneath like some vile, fake monster of a girl. She hated Lisia because she was the epitome of everything she hated about contests-- she couldn’t see Ruby’s good nature hiding beneath the glitter, only the serpentine fakeness and falsehoods she once imagined were present in all contest stars. She hated Lisia specifically because everyone else adored her. 

She realized just how deep her resentment went when she saw the television special. She had met Lisia briefly before then as little passing glances-- she performed with Ruby sometimes during Contests and Sapphire knew they occasionally worked together. Sapphire and Lisia had met and it was enough to make Sapphire see red as soon as Lisia’s perky self walked into her field of vision. Just the sound of her name made Sapphire’s throat sting. Then, when it was nearly the end of the world and Ruby refused to talk to her, Sapphire caught wind of the fact that he was relaxing with her. He was perfectly willing to leave Sapphire in an ocean of silence, just drifting by her lonesome out at sea, while he busied himself with some random girl. 

There, that bitter feeling became overwhelming and the resentment turned to fury. Even though they went into space, even though they rode on the holy dragon and saved the world the second time, even though she managed to conquer the fears and insecurities over him that seemed to cloud her mind every time she looked in his direction, there was still the insurmountable problem of Lisia. Ruby refused to bring her up, acting as though everything was fine, as though she was just his friend. Ultimately, she was just his friend and coworker-- there wasn’t anything else between them as far as she or anyone else knew. Emerald, when she asked, seemed fairly confident they were just “contest nerds” instead of an item. Even still, nothing seemed to help too much. Sapphire still ached at the thought of her, still felt herself developing early-onset ulcers whenever she could taste her perfume in the air. It was gross. She was gross. Sapphire just wished she could never see her again. 

Of course, life was never easy, and it seemed that the deeper Sapphire’s hatred grew, the more Lisia seemed to show up. It was like the universe was taunting her, letting her bitterness fester and bubble up within her until it became almost unbearable. What started as annoyance had quickly overtaken her, becoming this immeasurable flow of rage and pettiness and hatred. She watched as Lisia made Ruby laugh, as they held hands and spent hours enjoying each other’s company and doing the things they loved together. Sapphire watched Ruby kiss her hand before she went on stage for a contest and found herself unable to stay. She missed the rest of the performance-- she simply couldn’t handle this anymore. Lisia was quickly taking away the one thing that was grounding her, and it made her want to cry.   
Sapphire could feel the might of oceans flow into her fingertips, feel the wretched pungency of the sea make her lips curl back in disgust. She could taste the salt and feel the pressure of a million tons of water pounding on her back, pushing her forward and making her reach out, as slow and unstoppable as the curling waves. Sapphire wanted to take Lisia’s plastic little body and drag it below the waters, holding onto her until her fakeness fell away like snakeskin. She wanted to dig her nails in until the water squeezed the air out of her lungs and the pressure shattered her picturesque mockery of a personality like glass. Sapphire wanted to destroy her with all the ocean's might-- which is exactly why she tried to stay far far away from the poor girl who didn't deserve any of her bitterness. Sapphire felt for a moment like Archie, wanting to drown all of her problems in the endless ocean of her own misplaced bitterness and wrath. She hated how she felt this way, hated how in the end Lisia didn’t deserve this. 

The idol had been nothing but kind to her every time they had met, nothing but accepting and appreciative and kind to someone that was nothing like her, that rejected the very foundations of everything she stood for. And though Sapphire prided herself on being able to listen, to understand, and to value people no matter how different they may be, she found herself unable to like Lisia, to extend the same respect that the idol gave her. Her own immaturity sickened her. She called the one person she knew wouldn’t judge her, if only to get these feelings off her chest. 

“Hey, Emerald? We should hang out.”

“Emerald wasn’t fooled in the slightest. “What relationship problem are you having now?” he deadpanned. 

Sapphire faltered. “It isn’t that.”

“Oh?”

“I’m just angry and need to take my mind off things.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. 

“I won’t throw trees at you this time,” she added hastily. 

There were a few more seconds of silence, then a sigh. “I’m on Route 111 under the cycling road. Bring snacks.”

Sapphire went to say thank you, only to have the line go dead. She could understand Emerald’s bitterness-- they hung out a lot, but everytime they talked it somehow ended with Sapphire unloading her woes and social problems onto him. She really did feel bad about it, but something about him made it so easy to just open up. Most importantly though, he never shooed her off or made any effort to get rid of her; by Emerald’s standards that was effectively marriage. Even still, she always brought him apology snacks, loading up on convenience store goodies and pokeblocks for his Pokemon. This time, she made sure to bring some of her favorite lava cookies and the heart-shaped melon bread that Emerald loved but would never admit to eating. 

She found him lying in the grass. She flopped down beside him, not bothering with the pleasantries and needless greetings the both of them hated and launched immediately into a tirade about the blue-haired bother. Emerald shushed her immediately, pointing to the bag. When she handed it to him and he noticed there were lava cookies inside, he brightened immediately. 

“Ok, continue,” he said as he began to devour the bag. Sapphire explained her unfathomable hatred of Lisia, the way her blood boiled and all the horrible things she thought about when Lisia walked in the room. She explained just how deep and ridiculous it was but how it just felt so natural to hate and be bitter even if Lisia had never done a single thing to deserve it. When she finally finished, there was a word on the tip of her tongue that really got to the core of Sapphire’s feelings, something base and trivial and oh so petty, but still… there was only one thing to call it. 

“Emerald, I think I’m jealous.”

He turned to her with a weird, disbelieving expression. He might have been annoyed with her, but with his hair all over his face and lava cookie stuffed in his mouth she really couldn’t tell. He kept eye contact while he finished eating as if goading her to continue. Instead of taking the bait, she chewed her lip. 

”I don’t think that’s it,” Emerald said, eyes still closed. “I don’t think you’re jealous of Lisia because she’s taking Ruby away from you. I think you hate Lisia because she’s exactly the kind of girl you think Ruby  _ should _ fall in love with and it makes you feel inadequate.”

For once in her life, Sapphire stayed silent, absolutely stupefied by his revelation. Emerald cracked open an eye to stare and smirk at her. 

“Either that or you’re jealous because Ruby gets to spend time with the pretty girl instead of you.”

“No way!!” Sapphire snapped. “I hate her! I wanna kill that bitch.”

“I think you’re just gay,” Emerald replied. He popped another lava cookie in his mouth and started talking again with his mouth full, which even someone as feral as her thought was disgusting. “Like, half the things you just told me are probably a metaphor for making out or something.”

“No!!!” Sapphire whined. Emerald laughed at her. 

“I’m just kidding dude. I do really think the whole Ruby Lisia thing is your problem though. Lisia is the type of girl you think Ruby would fall for, and yet instead he’s ignoring her in favor of a love-crazed cavewoman.”

“But… what do I do now?” Sapphire pleaded. 

“Well for starters go to some therapy because there aren’t enough lava cookies in existence to justify me listening to this anymore. Second, talk to her. Actually get to know the girl and see if you were wrong about her or if she really is a bitch on the inside, in which case we can make fun of her and throw things at her face or something. It’s not hard.”

Sapphire shuffled her feet, staring at the grass. “Thanks Emerald.”

Emerald responded by loudly opening the wrapper for his milk bun. 

“Less thanking, more melon bread,” he responded as he tore it in half and handed it to her. As Sapphire stared at her half a heart, she thought about the feelings bubbling inside her, how they were a bit similar to the way she first felt about Ruby. She stretched out in the grass, letting the warm sun and the rush of bikers overhead relax her. At her side, Emerald was already asleep, snoring softly. Sapphire took a bite of the heart shaped bread. Maybe the bitterness she felt could become something beautiful after all. 


End file.
